The is no rest for Formlabs expansion in Europe. The US based low-cost SLA 3D printer manufacturer is finding fertile ground in a continent rich with SME’s and artisans that can find a huge added value in having a high-resolution desktop SLA 3D printer such as the Form 2 for the price of a semiprofessional DSLR camera.
This “formula” works and, just about six months after the first European push, where it established the European HQ in Berline and closed the first partnerships for the primary European markets, the company announced further expansion, doubling staff in their EU Headquarters and adding multiple distribution partners across Europe.
“Europe is a key market for Formlabs and its diversity of culture, industries and languages is what makes it so interesting and challenging at the same time” said Michael Sorkin, General Manager at Formlabs Europe. “We have doubled the size of our EU staff and in just 6 months we will have four times the number of employees as we started. We are looking for a variety of skills, but most of all we want people who are passionate about 3D printing and want to disrupt the industry with us”.
Driven by the commercial success and general appreciation of their desktop 3D printers, the company is accelerating growth in Europe to match the growing demand. Formlabs has increased the size of their EU staff and partnered with key European partners to further expand distribution and service to new markets. These efforts have been designed to improve access to Formlabs technology and support in local languages.
“Moreover, we have expanded our reach by adding key distribution partners in more than 10 different countries including Italy, Spain, Benelux, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Turkey, and we’re looking for more”, added Sorkin. These include several well established companies such as 3DiTALY and Energy Group in Italy, 3Dfab in Turkey, 3DVerkstan in Sweden, Creative Tools in Norway, GoPrint in the UK, iGo3D in Germany and Russia, Triodes in Belgium and many more.
Formlabs recently launched the Form 2, the company’s second generation high-resolution, desktop stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer at Euromold 2015. The printer has received critical acclaim. The Form 2 began shipping to customers in late November and it is already available for purchase for €3,299 on formlabs.com. Most distributors outside the US should have the machine available for delivery in the first quarter of 2016. With all that has been going on lately, it is nice to know that, at least in 3D printing, all European nations can agree on something.
